Final Paper

Decades after decades the mind set has still not changed of the NYPD cops. Their continued unfair practices towards certain ethnic groups and constant discrimination, is still evident by such tactics called stopping and frisking, which mostly targets Latinos and blacks. Being of colored skin can be all the reason the cops need in order to stop and search someone. The NYPD doesn’t call it racist. They just call it “Stop and Frisk”. New York City a decade ago was a crime infested city where murders were as common as day and night. Like every other city, New York City is a business, and in order to attract more business, through tourism and job opportunities, the city had to target and attempt to reduce the amount of crimes occurring within the city. Statistics today show that the city is safer than it was a decade ago. The issue here is the unintended consequences and constant allegations of police brutality.

Although these two races comprise of 53% of the total population of New York City, their chances of being stopped and searched on street is quite high. During the last year alone the so called random road side screening comprised of 84% of the total stops being made by the police department personals. Statistics prove a more severe discrimination towards the blacks who were stopped 53% of the time. This not only indicates the bias which is a cause of concern in the age where we consider and not accept racial discrimination but also a violation of privacy, which unlike other groups, minorities such as black and Latinos experience the most.

Although United States has come a long way in eliminating and distinguishing it’s deeply rooted racial discrimination from among its peoples mind, statistics depict enough of a picture to support the argument that the mark is still present. Although the purpose of these stopping is to provide benefit to the overall security of the city, its attitude is quite daunting for those who are innocent but suffer purely on the basis of their color. Stop and frisk is a procedure that either needs to be altered completely, or dismissed. “Equally as telling is the fact that exhaustive searches and studies reveal that only a fraction of the police brutality, intimidation, or abuse incidents occur against whites in this country” (Armstrong). If statistics keep showing that minorities, especially the black community, keep being the constant target of these stops, peace will never be made by the city and the minority communities that are constant victims of this type of policing. Critics of the strategy say it encourages cops to sweep neighborhoods and harass ordinary citizens for minor offenses and opens the way to an us-vs.-them mentality” (Lacayo). In the eyes of these minorities, police aren’t around to help; they are around to cause trouble and hardship.

The NYPD and the communities they work in need to come together in order to reduce the violence that occurs within their very own communities. They should be working together rather than apart. It seems though that people have this mistrust for police now because of allegations that surround them. It’s easy to abuse power. Take for example the many occurrences when the NYPD makes headlines, either because they unnecessarily shot fifty shots at an innocent man, or because a drunk off duty cop struck and killed an innocent pedestrian. These cops weren’t tried not even for manslaughter. They were simply dismissed. Would the same stipulations go for someone who is not a cop? Absolutely not! It is understandable why most minorities just don’t like the NYPD and chose not to trust them. It is because they are more likely to stop get away with a crime that the regular citizen couldn’t.
Racial discrimination has been evident since the colonial era in the United States and is traced back since then. Where the African Americans, Mexican Americans and Asians were treated unequally who were not at par to whites legally, until the mid 20th century, when the racial discrimination on any ground was pronounced unacceptable socially and legally but is still something that needs to be eliminated not just on papers but from its roots.

The main focus of our discussion would remain relating to the unethical and irrational behavior of NYPD cops in their policy of “Stop and Frisk”, which allows the officer to check the personal belongings of a person purely on the way they look, their suspicion of who is a criminal. Residents of certain communities fear police presence because of their unethical practices, often leading innocent people to be the target. “Complaints revealed a confinement of innocent families, unchecked police harassment and abuse of Black teenagers. One mother said that she has two sons, one in college, and is afraid to send them to the supermarket because "it's open season on any Black male teen" (Baylor). In a recent study conducted by the Centre for the Constitutional Rights (CCR) showed that 30% of the time the officer does not have any reasonable ground of suspicion on the personal being stopped and frisked. This study also accounts for excess stoppage for the suspects belonging to minorities.

The police department claims that the policy does restrain people from bringing and keeping weapons on streets. “The defense offered by police commissioners is that aggressive policing (575,000 stop and frisks) is in high crime areas” (Baylor). But contrary to this view, CCR claims that their conversion ratio of finding persons actually carrying weapons is only 1.25%. Since the number is quite low it cannot be said that the policy actually does not work. This might be taken as a measure which may have people think twice from carrying weapons. On that note, these stops cause great concerns in communities. Being of colored skin can be one of the primary reasons for being stopped. Is it fair to people in these communities to have to worry about being stopped just because of the way they look, because of the way they dress, but more importantly because of the color of their skin? Absolutely not, more importantly, why is this continuing to happen? Well the answer could be as simple as, none of the big people really care because; it’s not their families being stopped.

Police brutality is getting extremely common. It has hit the mainstream media and has brought public outrage. A recent case, notoriously known as the Sean Bell case which occurred in 2006, ignited a country wide controversy. On the day Sean Bell was due to get married, he was shot at by undercover cops, along with his two friends. Three bullets hit bell, one shot killing him. A couple of shots got his two other friends and one shot even ended up by the upper level of the train station almost striking innocent bystanders. More than fifty shots were fired. More than two-thirds of those shots were fired by undercover cop Michael Oliver, who was white. Sean Bell who was black, and his two friends, which were black and Hispanic, all got hit by bullets. At the end of the day, Sean Bell was found to have been legally intoxicated but the gun, which initiated everything, was never found. How is it possible that cops shot multiple rounds because of a suspicion and don’t even turn up with the evidence? Now there was some controversy that there was a fourth man. He was never found though. Is it justifiable to shot at a car fifty times? Was it perhaps because they were men of color, and caused the cops to feel as if they were in a hostile environment? Either way its put, one thing remains certain, it was the white cop who shot the most amount of shots.

The Sean Bell case is not a unique story, if not, part of a string of repeated crimes by people citizens sees as guardians. Abner Louima, who is also African American, was allegedly sodomized by NYPD officers. The public again grew furious about the allegations that again tainted the reputation of the NYPD. The issue here isn’t that police are just being brutal; it’s that they are being allowed to get away with it, consistently. Statistics show that crime rates have dropped significantly over the years. Some give credit to the ongoing work of the NYPD to crack down on these crimes, but at what cost exactly. “All around the country, the aggressive, "zero tolerance" policing strategy--which has contributed to New York's plummeting crime rate and is being imitated in other cities--is now getting a second look” (Lacayo). The NYPD seems to be using excessive force even when it clearly does not need to. If the allegations are true about Louima’s sodomizing, than that brings the NYPD’s tactic into question. A pattern is eventually formed through these sad but true stories. Being of any other color that is not white becomes risky for people. Sometimes even the innocent get caught up in the heat of the moment when they are being questioned like if they were criminals. Cops at times even taunt the detainees at times in order to get them to initiate contact so they can arrest them.

It is hard to gain something without losing something. The NYPD's success in bringing down crime has brought with it doubts. Police brutality exists. Police abusing their powers exist as well. Until the NYPD learns how to build a relationship with the communities they work in, they will experience cases where they are accused of being excessive. In reference to the Louima case, Lacayo states "the Louima attack, which is also an assault, has citizens wondering whether one kind of public order has been achieved at the cost of another. In short, is America's crackdown on crime bringing with it an increase in police brutality?" The point Lacayo is attempting to make is that perhaps the excess power given to the NYPD in order to crack down on crimes is probably a main reason why police brutality is up, because cops feel they can get away with it, and in most cases they have.

CCR has also claimed that the number of check points has increased but the crime rate is declining is another misconception. There is possibility that this tactic does work because it reduces the amount of people from carrying dangerous weapons on streets which eventually leads to lower number of crimes. The only reason this policy is under discussion is due to officers continued bias towards minorities and stopping them more frequently purely without any reason apart from their skin color. “However, statistics show greater hard drugs and recreational drug use among whites than Blacks, but the courts are not filled with whites. Also, public drinking of alcoholic beverages is visible outside many restaurants and clubs in white areas” (Baylor). It is hard to argue in favor of this policy at times because of the many cases that involve negative police activity towards minority groups.

According to Bob Herbert, the police in New York City are not just permitted, but rather “encouraged to trample on the rights of black and Hispanic New Yorkers by relentlessly enforcing the city’s degrading, unlawful and outright racist stop-and-frisk policy.” Contrary to a general opinion that people enjoy equal rights Herbert makes an important statement that hundreds of thousands of wholly innocent individuals are suffering because they are exposed to personal humiliation by police. This fact is very aggravating and can pose serious dilemmas for the future of police organization. According to Herbert, young people are routinely humiliated by the police on a daily basis. Humiliation seems to be unlikely to end in the nearest future. This idea has been once accentuated by Jeffrey Fagan, a professor of law and public health at Columbia University. Being a widely recognized scholar this person does not tolerate soothing of large public masses.
In order to prove his point author of this article even conducted a federal class-action lawsuit. This law-suit challenged the stop-and-frisk policy and defined this policy as largely unconstitutional. This conclusion was made on the basis of analyses of the department’s own statistics.

Crime rates have been on the decline since a decade ago. Strong tactics have been implemented in order to tackle on crimes head on. The NYPD to say the least, have been successful at accomplishing their goal of creating a safer environment for the people of New York City. The unintended consequence of a good effort is the constant allegations against officers on almost a daily basis. Perhaps it’s not completely their fault. After all, they are human, and like many, they could be just order takers. There orders come from the top. It’s understandable. The NYPD works for the city. The city is a business after all. It is just not right to stop, search, and embarrass innocent people in the base on the color of their skin. What the NYPD needs to do is brainstorm ways to properly execute their tactics without tainting their already questionable reputation and regain the trust they lost with the many people of NYC.


Works Cited

Baylor, Leroy. "Harlem town hall hearing on police abuse." New York Amsterdam News 101.28 (2010): 17-35. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 25 Nov.2010.

Brennan, Dan. "New York: Police Brutality Revealed in Courtroom, on Tape." World Socialist Web Site. Jan. 2010. Web. 25 Nov. 2010. .

Herbert, Bob. "The Shame of New York City." The New York Times, 29 Oct. 2010. Web. 26 Nov. 2010.

Lacayo, Richard, and Jyl Benson. "Good cop, bad cop." Time 150.9 (1997): 26. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 30 Nov. 2010.

Mehta, Dhaval. "Police Brutality Continues in NYC." New York City Metblogs. Dec. 2008. Web. 25 Nov. 2010. .

"Racial Disparity in NYPD Stops-and-Frisks." Center for Constitutional Rights. Web. 26 Nov. 2010. .

Shabazz, Saeed. "Activists claim that police brutality is alive and well in America." New York Amsterdam News 100.43 (2009): 3-34. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 26 Nov. 2010.

Williams, Armstrong. "A letter to the NYPD." New York Amsterdam News 98.2 (2007): 13 Academic Searches Complete. EBSCO. Web. 25 Nov. 2010.

Change of Topic

After two months of researching about male Breast Cancer, I decided to change my

topic. Although Male breast cancer is interesting, I just felt that I couldn’t write

a good paper on it. Most of the research that I found was very repetitive. Since my

sources were so repetitive, it was difficult for me to write different things about

males with breast cancer. So, I changed my topic to Police brutality against

Minorities. This topic has always interested me because I’ve always felt that most

police are always getting away with harassing innocent citizens, most of them being

minorities. I have spent the past two weeks working really hard on this paper, and

I am very satisfied with the sources I found, thanks to the Library’s website :)

Thankful

There are so many thing I am thankful for. My family, my health, but most of all my boyfriend, Daniel. I met him two years ago, and Ever since that day he has had a big impact on my life. He has always been there for me...through the good and the bad.. It's hard to describe what he means to me, because I know that words can't describe what he means to me. One thing that I do know is that I wouldn't be the person I am today if it wasn't for him.

He has Supported me in every decision I have made, even when others don't. One important thing that I will always be grateful for is when he convinced me to stay in school.I appreciate it because he cared so much about something that was going to affect my future, not his. He keeps pushing me everyday to continue with school, and make sure that I don't give up. I can't ever thank him enough for everything that he has been through with me. I know I will not meet another person as special as him.

Addition to paper

Being a male and having breast cancer is rare and nonetheless extremely awkward. Let’s take for example Jimmy Roan, a father, husband, and grandfather, who while showering one day discovered a “marble-sized” lump in his left breast. He immediately assumed it was breast cancer and in order not to startle his wife, he kept it a secret from her until he found out what the lump really was. Jimmy’s venture led him to his doctor’s office, where his doctor performed tests and later confirmed that it was a tumor, but at the moment did not confirm it was breast cancer. He sent Jimmy off to do a mammogram. Because of the lack of study that is concentrated on males with breast cancer, Jimmy had no option but to go through the same procedure as a woman with breast cancer would go through. Needless to say, Jimmy had to walk through hospital doors that read “Women Only”. For a guy whose dealing with a delicate matter such as breast cancer, it was a feeling of isolation for Jimmy, as it would be for any other male under the same circumstances. "At the hospital, I had to go through a door marked 'women only' to get to the mammography area. I got some really odd stares when I walked through that room!" (Article) Being a male and coming face to face with any type of cancer is scary, but being a male diagnosed with a type of cancer that rarely targets men is just plain out fearful.
One important factor in Jimmy overcoming and defeating breast cancer, which is a great example all men should follow, was taking action immediately. As soon as he felt that lump on his breast he didn’t hesitate to get something done. He immediately contacted his doctor. Men like to be tough, and in many cases act tough. But the more an individual holds in what is going on, the more he jeopardize his own life. Jimmy, like many males, has multiple responsibilities such as being a dad, a husband, provider for the home, etc. It’s not only important for males to take immediate action when they detect anything that is abnormal within the body, it is crucial. No one is more familiar with the body than the individual himself. It is understandable that people have busy lives and hectic schedules but if a person fails to regularly check themselves for irregularities within the body, that person could be doing more harm than good to their bodies. So if going to the doctor for a visit is too time consuming, perhaps that person doesn’t value their life as much as they think they do. Yes, perhaps it is difficult and something that is hard to confront, but the key to breast cancer, as is with any other type of cancer, is being persistent and having the determination to overcome the emotional rollercoaster.
The fact that men endure the same procedure as women is a telltale story on how there hasn’t been enough research gathered to perform and treat men with breast cancer. The fact that a male has to walk into a hospital mammography area labeled “Women-only” is probably just added discomfort to an already uncomfortable situation. Throughout it all though, men should keep in mind that their life are on the line. There shouldn’t be any type of embarrassment or humiliation big enough to ignore a death threatening situation such as breast cancer. As humans, one of our natural instincts is to adapt to change in order to survive. The key in that sentence is survive. No matter what it takes, the goal of life is to survive, and going to the doctor when feeling a lump is no different. Technology and medicine has advanced. People are living longer, healthier lives. Men shouldn’t feel embarrassed if they are diagnosed with breast cancer, but instead should feel optimistic because of the advancement in technology and medicine. What was an obstacle for doctor’s years ago is now an obstacle doctors can overcome. Still today breast cancer is viewed as rare in males, but as our knowledge starts to broaden on the subject, so will solutions.

Outline (10/20/10)

Body Paragraph II: Mental Health of Men

Since men feel neglected by physicians when it comes to this topic, they are also scared of telling their loved ones because they feel they don’t know enough information to explain it to their families.

----Men developing anxiety
----Dealing with depression
----how public awareness could help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety

Due to men being diagnosed so late it affects the household men live in. Men are always seen as the provider in the family. A responsible man does everything they can to fput pod on the table, and being diagnosed with Breast Cancer affects the gender roles a lot.

----how breast cancer affects men
----men not being able to work( how it affects his family )


Body Paragraph III: Men Vs. Women

When it comes to men and women there is nothing really different but our body parts. Therefore, why is it that men aren't recommended to be tested annually? Men’s health is just as important as women’s health.

----Testing is the same for men and women
----percentage of men who are diagnosed with breast cancer
----men being hormone receptor positive
----survival rates (similar)

Since survival rates are so similar, men should be receiving the same treatment as women. It is only fair. This disease when it comes to men is being “poorly understood”(Robinson).

Men&Breast Cancer (10/13/10)

Men are Equally Important

It’s like a scar; it won’t heal on its own. It needs your help to disappear, if you can’t help yourself it can kill you. It’s Breast cancer. Breast cancer is mostly seen as a disease that targets mostly women, but it also targets a majority of men as well. Breast cancer was discovered in Egypt, back in this time there was said to be no cure for this cancer. Now, thanks to modern medicine there are many ways to be able to detect this type of cancer. Just like any other cancer, you never know when breast cancer is going to target you. Now, women usually are required by their doctors to get tested for breast cancer after forty. While men are not even thinking that they can be targeted by this type of cancer. There are ways that men and women can self test themselves at home everyday. Breast cancer is no joke, the earlier it’s detected, the better chances you have of living through this horrible roller coaster. Especially for men, usually when men are diagnosed, the cancer has already spread. People don’t usually think about how men are affected once they are diagnosed with this disease. Also, when it comes to men with breast cancer some may feel like no one cares, because everything that has to do with breast cancer relates to women with the disease. Getting tested frequently is very important, breast cancer doesn't choose it’s targets by race, gender or age. Every six months, it is suggested you go to the dentist. Every year, it is suggested you check yourself for diseases such as Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Another type of check up that should be on men’s “to-do” list is breast cancer examinations. Just like women, men should be frequently getting tested for Breast Cancer.

“Males are more likely to view breast as vestigial anatomy or something to flex on the beach” (Robinson). The main reason that men are usually diagnosed with advanced breast cancer is because they are not aware that they can be affected with this type of cancer. Many people see breast associated to women, femininity, and sexuality. To most men breast or as others call it “pecs” are just there to make their bodies look good. Men are only worried about making there bodies look good for the beach; they are not thinking that they can be the next victim of Cancer. This is all because of the lack of awareness that physicians provides men with. Women are recommended by physicians to do periodic self-examinations, which physicians usually don’t tell men to perform. “Many male breast cancer patients report feeling ignored by their physician, with symptoms initially dismissed” (Pituskin). This clearly states that men don’t even feel well attended when they visit their physicians. Especially since they have just been diagnosed with breast cancer, and they feel their physician does not know enough about men with breast cancer. Although more women than men are diagnosed with breast cancer, all physicians need to remain aware that this disease targets everyone.

Annotated Biblograghy

"Breast Cancer Awareness Month - October 2009." MMWR: Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report 58.40 (2009): 1126. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 2 Oct. 2010.

This article will help my research because it contains information about being on the look out for Breast Cancer. It also contains information about October being the Breast Cancer awareness month.




"Breast Cancer. (cover story)." Nutrition Action Health Letter 37.6 (2010): 3. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 3 Oct. 2010.

This source contains ways that Men and Women can lower the risk of getting Breast Cancer. It also includes information pertaining to early detection and pretention.




"Breast Cancer Treatment & Side Effects." BreastCancer.org - Breast Cancer Treatment Information and Pictures. 29 Apr. 2010. Web. 02 Oct. 2010. .

This source will help me in my research because it contains the way Treatment of Breast Cancer affects the human body. It also contains ways to help deal with all of the side effects.



"Cost of Chemotherapy." Chemotherapy - Cancer Treatment and Side Effects. 2009. Web. 05 Oct. 2010. .

One thing some people fail to think of when confronted with breast cancer is the medication that goes into it in order to prevent it. It is not a inexpensive thing, in fact there are organizations who help out those people who cant afford treatment and tests.



Doheny, Kathleen. "Breast Lumps and Cancer: 7 Myths and Facts." WebMD - Better Information. Better Health. WebMD, 27 Sept. 2010. Web. 01 Oct. 2010. .

This article dicusses early prevention. The simplest thing as a self test can help a potential breast cancer candidate. The early the detections are spotted the quicker the doctor can do his job.




LeMura, Linda M., and Duvillard Serge P. Von. Clinical Exercise Physiology: Application and Physiological Principles. Philadelphia : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2004. Print

This book discusses breast cancer, how it happens, and how it is cured and in some cases even prevented. Breast cancer happens affects thousands and thousands of people a year and this book focuses much on that.



Robinson, John D., Kenneth P. Metoyer, and Neil Bhayani. "Breast Cancer in Men: A Need for Psychological Intervention." Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings 15.2 (2008): 134-139. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 4 Oct. 2010.

This article discusses the relation of cancer and men. Many times breast cancer is associated with woman but it does also happen to men. Men as much as women need to be aware that breast cancer is as much a risk to them as it is to women.



"Types of Breast Cancer - National Breast Cancer Foundation." National Breast Cancer Foundation® Official Site - Information, Awareness & Donations. 2010. Web. 03 Oct. 2010. .

This website helps to fund some of the research for breast cancer. Being prepared is key and this website gives tips on how early detection can help the process much better than not being aware at all.